Adonijah was the fourth son of King David according to the book of Samuel

Samuel

Samuel is a leader of ancient Israel in the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. He is also known as a prophet and is mentioned in the Qur'an....

 (See: 2 Sam. 3:4), which is contained in the Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

.

Life

After the death of his elder brothers Amnon

Amnon

According to the Bible, Amnon was the oldest son of David, King of Israel, with his wife, Ahinoam, who is described as "the Jezreelitess". -Rape of Tamar:...

 and Absalom

Absalom

According to the Bible, Absalom or Avshalom was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maachah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. describes him as the most handsome man in the kingdom...

, he became heir-apparent to the throne, but Solomon

Solomon

Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...

, a younger brother, was preferred to him. Adonijah, however, when his father was dying, caused himself to be proclaimed king. But the prophet Nathan

Nathan (Prophet)

Nathan the Prophet was a court prophet who lived in the time of King David and Queen Bathsheba. He came to David to reprimand him over his committing adultery with Bathsheba while she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite whose death the King had also arranged to hide his previous transgression.His...

 and Bathsheba

Bathsheba

According to the Hebrew Bible, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She is most known for the Bible story in which King David seduced her....

 induced David to give orders that Solomon should immediately be proclaimed and admitted to the throne.

Adonijah fled and took refuge at the altar, receiving pardon for his conduct from Solomon on the condition that he showed himself "a worthy man" (1 Kings

Books of Kings

The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...

 1:5-53). He afterwards made a second attempt to gain the throne, by trying to marry David's last woman, Abishag

Abishag

According to the Old Testament, Abishag was a young woman of Shunem, distinguished for her beauty. She was chosen to be a helper and servant to David in his old age. Among Abishag's duties was to lie next to David and keep him warm; however, David did not have sexual relations with her...

 from Shunem

Shunem

Shunem is a small village mentioned in the Bible. It was located in the tribe of Issachar, to the north of Jezreel and south of Mount Gilboa .Shunem is where:*The Philistines encamped when they came against Saul, the first king of Israel;...

, but Solomon denied authorization for such an engagement, even though Bathsheba now pleaded on Adonijah's behalf. He was then seized and put to death (1 Kings 2:13-25).
The name Adonijah is a combination of a couple of Hebrew terms: Adoni (meaning "my Master" Adonai) and Jah (or "YAH" Short form of YAHWEH). Thus the name can be rendered "My Master is YAHWEH" or "YAHWEH is my Master" It is a testimony to his Israelite citizenship. Although Hebrew names usually relate to the child's character and tend to be prophetic, Adonijah's name did not stop him from seeking to usurp his brother, Solomon's throne.